PentathleteTM Preparation

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In order to prepare your PentathleteTM for a National Mathematics Pentathlon® Academic Tournament, Coaches and Parents need to make all participants knowledgeable of the PentathleteTM Code of Conduct and review the Participation Guidelines and Game Highlight Sheets.


PENTATHLETETM CODE OF CONDUCT

A PentathleteTM is to treat adults and fellow Pentathletes with courtesy and respect and play by the rules that they know to be true. The Tournament Director will handle any infractions of this rule. Such infractions can result in loss of game (0 points) or being required to leave the Tournament Site.


PARTICIPATION GUIDELINES


      1. All students are known as PentathletesTM. To be a Pentathlete your child must be Officially Registered to compete in ALL 5 games and remain at the Closing Awards Ceremony until the last child receives their award. This is a full-day event, so please do not schedule other events during this time frame.

      2. Pentathletes MUST be accompanied by a Parent or Guardian.

      3. Pentathlete check-in begins at 7:30 AM. (Arrival after 8:15 may result in forfeiture of first game.) Pentathletes “Check-In” by picking up their Star at the Check-In Table. After doing so, the Pentathlete joins their school group in the stands. The Pentathlete’s Star identifies the order of the 5 games that each Pentathlete will play. NOTE: DO NOT pick up any other Pentathlete’s Star.

      4. Each School/Club MUST ASSIGN AT LEAST 1 adult volunteer Game Monitor for every 2 participating students in Michigan and Indiana.  Texas requires 2 Game Monitors for every 3 students. Adult Game Monitors learn one game and watch that game being played throughout the tournament. Game Monitors should be onsite no later than 7:30 AM and report directly to the assigned Game Area to check in with the Game Leader.
      5. After ALL students have checked in, announcements and directions will be made as to how the event will proceed.

      6. Parents not volunteering as a Game Monitor may view the tournament from the stands (like a basketball game) and will not be allowed in the Game Playing Areas at any time.

      7. Pentathletes play ALL 5 games. There may be short periods between games to get a snack or use the restroom.

      8. Pentathletes are encouraged to check in with their school’s contact person after each game for words of encouragement and to record scores.

      9. Running in the building and playing in the stands is Not allowed.

      10. LUNCH: Div I & II (K – 3rd grades) do not have an official lunch break but they will have ample time to eat between games. Divisions III and IV tournaments (4th – 7th Grade) will have a half hour lunch break. There will be no time to leave the facility to get food. Concessions will be available at the tournament. Although students may bring sack lunches, we appreciate your support of the service group that provides concessions at the tournament. No food or drink is allowed on the gym floor. However, Game Monitors may have a covered drink at their table.

      11. The closing Award Ceremony recognizes each Pentathlete with an award and certificate.

      12. Everyone is expected to stay until the last Pentathlete receives his or her award.

      13. Depending on the size of the tournament the event has been known to last until:

        1. Div I (K-1):  1:00
        2. Div II (2-3):  2:30
        3. Div III (4-5):  4:30
        4. Div IV (6-7):  4:30

ANSWERS TO FAQs

How do I know my child is officially registered?  Online registrations will receive a Ticket to Tournament by email. Parents need to bring the Official MPT Ticket as their proof of payment. NOTE: If your child is not on our registration listing & you do not have proof of registration a $80 deposit will be required for your child to participate. You then will have one week to provide proof of registration or you will lose the deposit.

Who may register for a tournament?Any child” who is well versed in all 5 divisional games and has an adult willing to monitor a game may participate.

Can our school send more Game Monitors? YES!  We encourage schools and clubs to send MORE than the required number of Game Monitors.

If my child can’t make it, can I get a refund? Registration is non-refundable and non-transferable.

What if a National MP Academic Tournament is canceled (e.g. Health Epidemic, Act of Nature, Hosting Site Malfunction, etc)? The Pentathlon Institute will attempt to reschedule the Tournament at a later date.  In the 40+ years, we have ONLY had 1 Tournament season canceled due to a health pandemic. Our longstanding Non-Refund policy was instituted in our early years. This policy was based on the fact that we are a small Non-Profit Educational Organization that prepares for many months to conduct National Tournaments.  We are dependent on Tournament fees to sustain our overhead costs throughout the course of the school year. Without such funding, we would cease to exist. Any catastrophic event or emergency is beyond our ability to control. As deeply saddened as we would be if another such incident occurred, we would ask for your understanding.


HIGHLIGHT SHEETS: GAME RULE OVERVIEWS


National Mathematics Pentathlon® Academic Tournament Game Highlight Sheets to provide a brief overview of tournament rules for each game by Division Level. They also contain the most recent rule updates to the Official Rule Manuals.

These Essential Highlights include: Common Division Rules, Game Specific General Rules, and Rules for Challenging. In no way are these sheets to replace the Official Rule Manuals that present all rules for instructing PentathletesTM. Rather, these summary sheets condense the information into an easy to read format once you are familiar with the rules in the Official Manual. These important sheets should be used by coaches and parents to prepare PentathletesTM for a National Tournament. They are also used at tournaments by Game Monitors to make rulings when PentathletesTM present challenges.

Link to current Tournament Game Highlight Sheets